Is It a Friendly Universe?

We have important issues to address as a society, questions to answer about ecology, politics, social action and human justice. We have endorsements to make and votes to cast to ensure that we participate in building a future our children will welcome.

This is the big story of our lives, but what about our individual roles? As many of us anticipate the new GPS for the Soul app, it's important to know our starting point. A good friend and acclaimed teacher from Long Island, N.Y., Anthony Fisichella showed me the value of knowing where you are when beginning any journey. "If," he would say, "you are going from point A to B, you've got to know where point A is first. That's the only way you will be able to map out the course and get to your destination." I've always considered this to be great wisdom and I wondered what other great teachers offered on the subject.

Albert Einstein said, "The most important decision we make is whether we believe we live in a friendly or hostile universe." He was asking us to examine our core positioning, our beginning point. Einstein, I suspect, was speaking about our perception and attitude. Just think about it... rose-colored glasses... The cup is half empty... My way or the highway... These are part of our own GPS.

Personally, I don't think it really matters whether the universe is friendly or hostile because it's not about the universe. It's about us. It's about our thoughts, our perceptions and our unique filters that process what we see, sense and experience. It's also about how we think.

The first step of new thinking is examining our own beliefs about the relative friendliness of the universe and being certain that we can change negative thinking to positive thinking.

Negative thinking is very common. Its roots are the subconscious mind and is often born out of the early messages we received as children. Negative thinking arises from perfectionism, unworthiness, discontent and fear. It can perpetuate itself over a lifetime and never become conscious to the individual who is afflicted.

The good news is we can change negative thinking into positive thinking and maybe free ourselves from the imprisonment of limited perception. It requires two main ingredients: awareness and enthusiasm.

First, become aware of your thoughts. Tune in to the ongoing internal dialogue you have with yourself. Listen into you own mind. If what you hear is good, great! If not, change the messages you feed yourself. "The good news is," Robert Schuller said, "that the bad news can be turned into good news when you change your attitude."

An attitude adjustment will give you control over how you see the world. Deepak Chopra tells us that we are the only creatures on earth that can change our biology by what we think and feel. A good attitude will go a long way in delivering happy food to your cells. As you feed yourself positive thoughts, you are enhancing your physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well-being.

As with any new task or commitment, enthusiasm is the fuel for success. Become wholly committed to catching your thoughts and shaping your words positively. Look for terms such as: "I can," "I will," "I know," "I am," "I choose." Enrich yourself with empowering thoughts and become enthusiastic about shaping your life.

Life is change, growth is optional. Choose wisely and position yourself accordingly so you can see a friendly universe and ensure a future that is truly worth living.